A family and industrial story
1920
1st generation
Norbert Malterre founds the company
The son of stocking makers, he founded a T-shirt and underwear company in the early 1900s, which he closed at the start of the Second World War so as not to work for the Germans. A member of the Resistance, he did not come back alive from the Mauthausen camp.
1950
2nd generation
Louis Malterre takes the helm
Taking over the family legacy, Louis developed the company by combining knitting, dyeing and garment making. This integrated company, which employed up to 300 people, became the number 2 of French textiles in swimwear and pyjamas, until the whole French industrial base moved abroad.
1980
3rd generation
Laurent Malterre takes the helm
An engineer with a hand in everything, Laurent restarted a knitting business by bringing an old knitting machine back to life.Creative, he always finds a way to offer customers the product they need. Tricotage Malterre then became known for its adaptability and responsiveness in producing knits on circular machines.
2000
Innovation
Always ready to think outside the box, Laurent innovated on demand and as he saw fit. The company produced knits for technical applications in the automotive, pharmaceutical and medical fields: corset and orthosis linings, gussets for compression tights, EEG caps…
2010
A textile fencing piste made in France
At customers’ request, Malterre developed an elastic knit for circus acrobats, and a textile dedicated to fencing pistes.
2015
Organic, Recycled, Made in France
Malterre offers knits in GOTS-certified organic cotton and in recycled materials.The matching certificates are provided to customers on request.
2020
Isabelle and Vincent Malterre join
Having come to help out temporarily during Covid, the fourth generation, Laurent’s son Vincent and his wife Isabelle, brings a breath of fresh air to the family business.Drawing on their previous careers, they want to make the company a leading player in French manufacturing.
2026
4th generation
One generation passes the baton, the next takes up the thread
In June 2026, Laurent and Patricia Malterre handed the company over to Isabelle and Vincent.
To mark the handover, we opened the mill’s doors to 200 guests, with three demonstrations of what our knits make possible: an apparel and lingerie fashion show, a fencing bout on our textile piste, and an acrobatics act on a circus strap.
Apparel and lingerie fashion show 
Fencing bout on a textile piste 
Acrobatics on a circus strap
